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Friday, December 7, 2012

WrestleMania Time Machine: WrestleMania 26

In the months leading up to WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, we'll be taking a look back at the best and worst of WrestleMania's past.

w/ Alex Archer & Violet Buttle

Date: March 28, 2010

Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)

Attendance: 72,219

On Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Matt Striker

Main Event: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels in a No Disqualification Streak vs. Career Match

Alex's Opinion

Best: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels was not only the best match of WrestleMania 26, but it was also the only memorable match on the card. Shawn and Taker told a great story throughout the contest. Even though many predicted that Taker would prevail, they managed to put the crowd on the edge of their seats with some very well done near falls towards the end of the match. Interesting note: this was the first non-title main event at WrestleMania in 15 years, and rightly so.

Worst: Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon at WrestleMania would've sounded great anytime from 1998 up to around 2005. In 2010, however, it just wasn't there. The crowd wasn't all that into it, the Hart Family lumberjack angle came off looking really sloppy and hokey, and the "match" itself was 16 minutes of good memories turning sour. I didn't expect much out of this one, but what they went with was worse than what I had imagined.

Violet's Opinion

Best: Before watching this WrestleMania, I assumed that I’d rate the career vs. streak match as my favorite. I mean, it showcased two guys who notoriously perform well at WrestleMania (Micahels and Undertaker) and a weighty stipulation. However, I was surprised that this bout was overshined, only slightly , by the CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio match from earlier in the event. Punk and Mysterio delivered one of the few fast paced matches on the card while both men shared control of the action. Entertaining wrestling aside, this match also came with an intriguing stipulation: if Punk won, Mysterio would have to join the Straight Edge Society. Of course Mysterio won, but up until he hit the 619 at the end of the match, I was invested in the story the two participants were telling.

Worst: The Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon match was easily the worst. It was long, and it was a poor attempt to right McMahon’s wrongs against Hart.

Full Results

ShoMiz (Big Show & The Miz) defeated John Morrison & R-Truth to retain the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship (3:24)

Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in a Triple Threat Match (9:01)

Jack Swagger defeated Christina, Matt Hardy, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, Evan Bourne, and Kane in a MITB Ladder Match (13:44)

Triple H defeated Sheamus (12:09)

Rey Mysterio defeated CM Punk (w/ Luke Gallows & Serena) (6:30)

Bret Hart defeated Mr. McMahon in a No Holds Barred Lumberjack Match (16:09)

Chris Jericho defeated Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (15:48)

Michelle McCool, Vickie Guerrero, Alicia Fox, & Maryse defeated Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Gail Kim, Eve Torres, & Kelly Kelly in a 10-Diva Tag Match (3:26)

John Cena defeated Batista for the WWE Championship (13:31)

The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels in a No Disqualification Streak vs. Career Match (23:59)

Thursday, December 6, 2012

WrestleMania Time Machine: WrestleMania 27

In the months leading up to WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, we'll be taking a look back at the best and worst of WrestleMania's past.

w/ Alex Archer & Violet Buttle

Date: April 3, 2011

Venue: Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA)

Attendance: 71,617

On Commentary: Michael Cole (first 4 matches), Jerry Lawler (matches 1-4, 6-8), Josh Mathews (first 5 matches), Jim Ross (main events), Booker T (Cole vs. Lawler)

Main Event: The Miz (w/ Alex Riley) vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship

Alex's Opinion

Best: Cena and Miz put on a great main event that would have ended in a double count-out had The Rock not restarted the match under No Disqualification rules. I can't say that I'm thrilled with how Rock's involvement has turned out over the last 2 years, but it was pretty awesome in this situation. I think the star of this match was really The Miz. Everyone focused their attention on the Rock/Cena drama, but Miz held his own and remained visible in the presence of two future Hall of Famers.

Worst: The addition of Stone Cold Steve Austin as the guest referee in the Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler match didn't add enough to make it even remotely bearable to watch. He didn't have much to work with as the heel Michael Cole character was just never interesting.

Violet's Opinion

Best: Months before WrestleMania 27, Cody Rhodes suffered a broken nose after he was hit in the face with the exposed knee brace of Rey Mysterio during a 619. After missing the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber as a result of the injury, Rhodes returned wearing a mask and blaming Mysterio for the deformity that caused him to wear it. At WrestleMania 27, Rhodes was able to get his revenge on Mysterio with a big win over the veteran wrestler. The match featured some creative and fast-paced wrestling, as well as a definitive, clean win for Rhodes.

Worst: Commentators should commentate. Wrestlers should wrestle. While this may not always be true (I almost prefer Kevin Steen on commentary), the "rule" should have been applied to Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole. Their far-too-long 13:37 match was the culmination of their far-too-long four month feud.

Full Results

Edge (w/Christian) defeated Alberto Del Rio (w/ Ricardo Rodriguez & Brodus Clay) to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (19:30)

Cody Rhodes defeated Rey Mysterio (11:51)

Kane, Big Show, Santino Marella, & Kofi Kingston defeated The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel, & Heath Slater) in an Eight-Man Tag Team Match (1:35)

Randy Orton defeated CM Punk (14:48)

Michael Cole (w/Jack Swagger) defeated Jerry Lawler w/ Stone Cold Steve Austin as Special Guest Referee (13:37)

The Undertaker defeated Triple H in a No Holds Barred Match (29:55)

John Morrison, Trish Stratus, & Snooki defeated Dolph Ziggler & Laycool (Layla & Michelle McCool) (w/Vickie Guerrero) in a Six-Person Mixed Tag Team Match (3:58)

The Miz (w/ Alex Riley) defeated John Cena to retain the WWE Championship (21:49)

Monday, December 3, 2012

Versus: Wrestling Lawyers

by Violet Buttle

WWE's David Otunga vs. TNA's Joseph Park

David Otunga: Being a real-life Harvard Law School graduate, Otunga is well-suited to play a lawyer on TV. With the help of bowties, sweater vests, and coffee thermoses, Otunga even manages to look the part, though his physique suggests that he spends more time in the gym than he does in the courtroom. He’s even acted as a legal adviser and representative for John Laurinaitis and Alberto Del Rio in a few high profile cases/story lines/ feuds.

Joseph Park: Park showed up on the Impact scene to investigate the disappearance of his brother Abyss. Ever since then, Park has come across as a detective rather than a lawyer. Though he claims to be a partner at the Park, Park, and Park firm, he never seems to be working on an actual case. Instead, he snoops around the Impact Zone looking for clues much like Scooby and his gang would.

The Better Wrestling Lawyer: David Otunga

Contact me on Twitter to discuss this article or anything wrestling :
@VioletButtle | #FTLOW

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

WrestleMania Time Machine: WrestleMania 28

In the months leading up to WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, we'll be taking a look back at the best and worst of WrestleMania's past.

w/ Alex Archer & Violet Buttle

Date: April 1, 2012

Venue: Sun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)

Attendance: 78,363

On Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Jim Ross (for Undertaker vs. Triple H)

Main Event: The Rock vs. John Cena

Alex's Opinion

Best: Rock and Cena drew most of the main stream attention, but the real story of WrestleMania 28 was Triple H vs. The Undertaker with Shawn Michaels as guest referee. Hunter and Taker really pulled out all the stops and put on one of the best matches I've ever seen. While giving those two told an amazing wrestling story, Shawn Michaels should be commended for his efforts as guest referee. The way he reacted to the big moves and the ways he interacted with Hunter and Taker were totally on point. While guest referees usually take away from a big match, Shawn made this one seem even more important.

Worst: Even though the aftermath lead to the current Daniel Bryan character, I have to say that the Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan match was the worst on the card. Obviously it wasn't a wrestling match, as Sheamus kicked Bryan's head off in 18 seconds, but it was still the match that was most disappointing. These guys got their dark-matched at WrestleMania 27, and with the stage set for them to steal the show, WWE went for the fluke win instead. In the end, it worked for both men. At the time, I wanted my money back.

Violet's Opinion

Best: Triple H and the Undertaker did not just have the best match at Wrestlemania 28; they had one of the best matches of 2012. In my opinion, this match was much more entertaining than their slower paced Wrestlemania bout from the year before. I think that Shawn Michaels' presence was part of what made this match as good as it was. He oversold everything he did in the best way possible. However, Michaels wasn't the only one working hard to make this second meeting between Triple H and the Undertaker memorable. All three men told a linear and intriguing story throughout the match. This is an example of WWE wrestling at its best.

Worst: Sheamus and Daniel Bryans' Wrestlemania 27 bout was advertised as part of the PPV but was turned into a dark a match, which was then turned into a battle royal. Therefore, I was thrilled to learn that at Wrestlemania 28 we'd finally get to see the match we were cheated out of the year before. However, that wasn't the case. Sheamus won with a Brogue Kick in 18 seconds and ended Bryan's all too short title reign. What a waste of talent and a heavily anticipated match.

Full Results

Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan to win the World Heavyweight Championship (:18)

Kane defeated Randy Orton (10:56)

Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship (5:18)

Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos defeated Beth Phoenix & Eve Torres (6:49)

The Undertaker defeated Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee (30:52)

Team Johnny (David Otunga, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, The Miz, & Drew McIntire) defeated Team Teddy (Santino Marella, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder, The Great Khali, & Booker T) in a Twelve-Man Tag Team Match to determine the GM of Raw & SmackDown (10:38)

CM Punk defeated Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Championship (22:21)

The Rock defeated John Cena (33:34)

Monday, November 19, 2012

WWE Survivor Series Results & Afterthoughts

w/ Alex Archer & Violet Buttle

CM Punk defeated John Cena and Ryback to retain the WWE Championship

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, & Roman Reigns

Alex: The match itself was much more entertaining than I expected it to be. The spot where Cena and Punk worked together to put Ryback through the announce table was very well done. I expected Punk to get some sort of flukey win, but I don't think anyone expected the internet-swoon-inducing combination of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and (to a lesser extent) Roman Reigns to debut and destroy Ryback. It'll certainly be interesting to see how these three tie into the Punk/Heyman/Cena/Ryback story going forward.

Violet: I knew that Punk would retain, but I had no idea that he’d have the help of Ambrose, Reigns, and Rollins. Tonight, I can’t wait for Punk to celebrate a full calendar year as champion, and I can’t wait for these three guys to explain their actions.

Sheamus defeated Big Show via Disqualification

Chair match incoming

Alex: Sheamus and Big Show weren't able to recreate the feel of their Hell in a Cell match, but it was still mildly entertaining. It looks like we'll get Big Show/ Sheamus in a chairs match next month at TLC, so any hope of this feud ending last night are shot.

Violet: This was a strong effort, but I still can’t get into either of these guys. I was hoping that this would be the end of their feud, but judging from Sheamus’s post-match rampage, I’m guessing that we’ll see these two in a chairs match at TLC.

Team Ziggler defeated Team Foley in a traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match

Alex: I predicted Ziggler and Sandow surviving... Ziggler was the sole survivor and Sandow was eliminated first. I guess I broke even. This was a good match, but I think the opening elimination match was more fun to watch. I like that Ziggler got a clean pin on Orton, and I like even more that it came off a superkick and not a normal finisher. Things like that make the WWE seem more unpredictable, which is something they desperately need to try and boost ratings and buy rates back up. The Miz remaining babyface and working the crowd the way he did was the most surprising part of the match. There's just some guys that seem weird playing a babyface, and Miz is one of them.

Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler

Violet: A lot of things happened in this match that surprised me. Miz pinned Barrett, and he did not turn on his team. Sandow was the first heel pinned, not Otunga. And Ziggler was the sole survivor! Being that this is practically the first time he has won a match since Money in the Bank, I guess he can only get the job done when the stakes are high.

Antonio Cesaro defeated R-Truth to retain the US Championship

...and STILL United States Champion

Alex: There was never a doubt in my mind that Cesaro was retaining. I have nothing against Truth, but his Little Jimmy act has got to go. It seemed to be over early on, but that gimmick is on life support. Cesaro looked great, and I hope to see him move onto a more serious feud.

Violet: Cesaro has had a fairly unremarkable title reign, but I don’t think it’s his fault. I blame Santino, Justin Gabriel, and R-Truth. If the man was given a believable opponent or a legitimate feud, I think there’d be much more substance to what he’s doing.

Eve defeated Kaitlyn to retain the Diva's Championship

Alex: Another convincing win from Eve. Given time, there are a few divas on the roster than actually perform and string together a good match. Eve is definitely one of them, and Kaitlyn wasn't bad herself. I enjoy the story they've been telling with Eve, and I hope it continues to shine a light on the diva's division.

"The move that no one could name"

Violet: This was one of those rare Divas matches where the participants actually had the chance to tell a story in the ring. Both girls did a good job of playing their parts, but Eve was the star here. When given the time, she can be quite impressive in the ring.

Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, Tyson Kidd, & Justin Gabriel survived in a traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match (Mysterio, Sin Cara, Kidd, Gabriel, & Brodus Clay vs. Primo & Epico, The Prime Time Players, & Tensai)

Alex: I think the opening elimination match was actually better than the one that followed later in the night. I liked that they took out the big men first and really focused on the tag teams that were involved in the match. It was a good way to kick off the pay-per-view.

Four out of five aint bad

Violet: This match was nothing special, but it was fun and it gave some guys who typically don’t get PPV time a chance to show off what they can do. Except for Brodus Clay. What is the WWE planning to do with him?